Wherein The Archivist entreats Latter-day Saints to write down their experiences and stories so that future generations can understand us. Don’t just write in an emotional frenzy. Record the whos, whats, wheres, and whens.  Record your musical activity. You will surely benefit if you do, and regret it if you don’t.  Highly recommended for all readers and Linescratchers alike. Read the rest of this entry »

Underground college radio fans all over the United States and Europe have been buzzing about the trippy, sparse “post-doo-wop” of Idiot Glee. Here in Lexington, Kentucky, the creative force behind Idiot Glee, James Friley, can often be seen poking his head into local shows and playing Al’s Bar, but he will soon be embarking on a tour of England and New York City in support of Idiot Glee. James grew up in the Church along with his brother, Ian Friley, who has graced our pages and podcast before as Good Morning Passenger, and found a measure of success with his previous band, bedtime. James admits he doesn’t obsess about God as much as he obsesses about music, and hasn’t been to Church in while (we’re working on that), but James still has to defend the Church in interviews and explain to people why he doesn’t drink. In this interview, James talks about his upcoming tour, his varied influences, and his relationship with the Church. Highly recommended. Read the rest of this entry »

Featuring the first official Linescratchers Theme Song! Also including a special segment featuring Thomas Hatton called “THE WORKSHOP”!

Silver City, NM – Canoe
Fox in the Hole – Good Morning Passenger
Fill – Pilot
The Workshop featuring Thomas Hatton
Down For You – Young Sim
Once in a Lifetime – Carolyn Southworth

Special thanks to Thomas Hatton for appearing on this podcast

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Fictionist has won a fan favorites poll at the 9th Independent Music Awards for their song “Invisible Hand.”  You can see the press release HERE.  I also see that Vienna Teng is on the list.  She’s not LDS, but one time I saw her backstage at one of her concerts (I was there to see my friend Brian Webb who opened for her).  I had some cranberry juice.  She told me that she also likes cranberry juice.

Great story huh.  No, there’s no more of it.

HIP HOP/RAP

Whenever religion, politics, and hip hop collide, the result is always something to look for. So it is with Phoenix-based rapper Arhythmatik, whose clever, creative beats and words never tip-toe around controversial or taboo topics, without resorting to the language or vulgarity of some other artists. A devout Mormon, producer, emcee, underground musician, and father of three, Arhythmatik is a satisfying blend of seemingly different influences and experiences.

Arhythmatik has been very involved in the LDS music community and is hoping to bring together LDS hip hop artists all over Utah and the West to create a monthly concert showcase, and is releasing one song a month for the next 12 months. For an interesting interview with an ambitious, principled rapper, read on. Read the rest of this entry »

Interesting article about Neon Trees, their relationship with The Killers, and their Mormon beliefs. Very interesting. They’ve tried to make their way without flaunting their relationship with The Killers, stating that they believe they’re good enough to make it on their own.

Click HERE for the article.

photo by Matthew L. T. Hepworth

Echoed Illusions is a band from Sandy, Utah with a fusion of several styles including punk and hardcore with a slight progressive edge.  They have recently recorded a full-length album called Beyond the Line with producer Gregg Hale at Lincoln Street Sound Studios, and many listeners might compare them favorably to Coheed and Cambria, Rush, or Saosin.  Three of the four members of Echoed Illusions are LDS:  Joel Clark, Michael Howell, and Takami Kowalski, and they currently have one member on a full-time mission for the Church, Matt Petrucci.  Joel, Michael, and Takami recently got together to answer a few questions I sent to them, and they talk about their influences, their lineup changes, and the themes you can expect to hear in their songs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Portland band Canoe gives us a quick overview of their studios and recording process. Fun!

Canoe is currently making their new album, The Ship, available streaming on their website HERE.

Recommended if you like: Deathcab for Cutie, Pinback
Recommended tracks: “Empty Beds”, “Wake the Thieves”

Good Morning Passenger, released on the Slow Owl label, is the first full album by Ian Friley, who releases music under the name Good Morning Passenger.  Ian has a knack for creating dreamy washes and soundscapes, underscored by humble yet driving rhythms, and wrapped up in catchy, accessible packages.  He comes from a similarly talented family:  his brother is Idiot Glee and Bedtime keyboardist, songwriter, and singer James Friley.

Good Morning Passenger is a surprisingly full, textured, and clear artistic statement, despite being composed of just eight tracks.  It is a brutally honest, hypnotic album, a must-have for deep thinkers, and hopefully it is the beginning of a long life of writing and recording from Ian Friley. I simply love this album. Read the rest of this entry »

from theroot.com

If you’re a musician, then it probably didn’t take a journalistic investigation to come to the conclusion that musicians are poor.  Not only are most musicians poor, but the ones who aren’t poor are actually poorer than you think they are.  That’s the gist of this article I just read at The Root, but like most LDS musicians, this is information that I definitely already knew.

Attaching yourself or your band to the corporate structure of a record label has historically had its advantages:  promotions, studios, tour management, image, marketing, etc., but all those things come at a price.  When it all boils down to it, the average musician in the band makes about $23.40 for every $1000 of music sold.  Of course, money isn’t the only problem with this sort of arrangement.  Record labels are notoriously wary of music that ventures out of the box at all, or goes against an already money-making formula.  Many artists who are signed to labels soon disconnect from the lives that inspired their music, often resulting in the dreaded Sophomore Syndrome. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview with multi-talented composer, singer, performer, pianist, American Idol finalist, philanthropist, and Live for Music creator, Shaun “Hammer Hands” Barrowes! Shaun talks about his dance competition, his passion for music in schools, songwriting, his faith, and his sweet ride.

For more information about Shaun’s high school band tour, and his international dance competition with So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Mandy Moore, check out the websites at www.liveformusictour.com and www.liveformusicdance.com. The dance competition will be accepting submissions until August 1st, 2010.

If This Is To Be Goodbye – Jeff Zentner
Empty Beds – Good Morning Passenger
Live or Die – Shaun “Hammer Hands” Barrowes
Interview with Shaun “Hammer Hands” Barrowes
You Came Along – Shaun “Hammer Hands” Barrowes
This Time – The Sweater Friends

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The eponymous new album from Good Morning Passenger is now available on several websites including iTunes.  I’m waiting on my copy, so I cannot write a proper review quite yet, but I have half of the songs from our podcasts.  Ian is an incredibly unique and talented songwriter, and his style has a very mellow yet driving spacey sound.  I’m a big fan actually, and so I feel good about already recommending this album to anyone.

Once I receive a copy I will let you know by writing a review, but if the rest of the album is anything like what I have now, I can already tell you I’m going to like it.

Recommended if you like: Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake
Recommended tracks: “The Stone”, “The Planet”, “The Sea of Glass”

It has been a while since I received The Goldminer from Canoe’s Carl Hoiland, but it takes me a while to fully digest albums like this. However, Canoe has just released their newest album, The Ship, on iTunes, and I felt like it was time. Though perhaps it borders too much on the philosophical, this album is a dreamy, crystalline journey that definitely gives back what you put into it.  It’s a beautiful, mystical album that deserves far more attention than it has gotten, particularly now that their next album threatens to overtake it in popularity. Read the rest of this entry »

Both Gladys Knight and David Archuleta are scheduled to perform at the annual “A Capitol Fourth” show in Washington, D.C. on July 4th.  A Capitol Fourth will be celebrating its 30th year of July 4th shows.  It will be shown on PBS at 8:00 p.m. that night.  David and Gladys are both devout members of the LDS Church, and seeing them both performing the same show will be quite a treat for Church members.  Especially Church members whose favorite 4th of July activity is sitting at home and watching PBS.

Now if we could only get Anthony Mather up there…

…we would really have an odd LDS combination.

Brandon Flowers has just released a single from his upcoming solo album Flamingo on iTunes.  The song is called “Crossfire”.  It’s probably a taste of the tone of the album, but we have yet to find out.

For “Crossfire” on iTunes, click here.

What do you think?